Tubulars storage devices, such as fingerboards, typically include a slot delimiting structure, e.g. spaced apart finger members, that define a slot capable of receiving a plurality of tubulars, e.g. drill strings. Each tubular is typically individually secured at a storage position along the slot by a corresponding latch member, which is movable between a locked and an unlocked position.
In some prior art tubulars storage devices, the latches are manually moved between the locked and unlocked positions by worker who walks across the fingers to manually move the latches, e.g. by kicking, to the desired locked or unlocked position. As the finger members are often mounted at a great height (in some instances 90 feet above the drilling floor or taller) this type of manual operation of the latches by the worker is dangerous.
To overcome this dangerous situation tubular storage devices have been developed that include “automated latches” which are controlled from a remote location.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,768,663 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,799,364 tubular storage device for use in a drilling rig are shown, wherein pivotal latch fingers are placed along the storage slot. The fingers are each connected to a hydraulic cylinder in order to selectively bring the latch into a locked position, wherein the finger extends into the path of displacement of the tubulars formed by the slot, and an unlocked position, wherein the finger is out of said path of displacement.
In WO2005/061839 are a more recent tubular storage device is shown. This device includes a so-called row controller that is connected to each of the latches for individually and sequentially moving the latches between the locked and the unlocked position.